Hinata
by LastUchihaAlive
Summary: AU- Influenced by the movie 'Mulan'. Neji Hyuuga is terminally ill and the Huns have entered China. Hinata, a disgrace to her family, steals Neji's armor and poses as his twin brother. She refuses to let him die- but the General, Sasuke Uchiha, thinks there is something odd about this 'man'- will he figure her out? Will Hinata survive to see Neji again?


**Hinata – Dishonor**

"Hinata," said a sickly man, "did you finish your chores?"

A small, curvy woman rolled over in her bed. Her purple hued eyes met silver ones. "What, Neji?"

He leaned heavily on his cane and coughed. "Did you finish your chores? You have to leave in an hour and I wanted to tell your father they were done."

Her eyes widened and she hopped up, yanking down her loose white shirt. "Oh, goodness," Hinata growled, running from the room, leaving a very amused Neji.

Neji followed her slowly out of the room, his cane supporting his weight easily. His hair hung limply around his waist, his bones protruding under the ebony locks. He exited his younger cousin's room, slowly and with great difficulty. He watched the girl run around the home, filling up cups of tea at the table and calling for her younger sister and father. A small smile graced the sick man's face- she was flustered easily but she would make a good wife. "Hinata, did you put feed in Kuma's pen?"

She shouted a Chinese obscenity and darted from the farm house, much to Neji's amusement.

"Neji," a strong, deep voice called.

"Yes, Father?" Neji turned and headed for his uncle's bedroom, making long but slow paces, his breath shallow.

He pushed open the door with his long, pale fingers. He spotted his uncle lying on the bed, struggling to get his wheel chair. "Father, how did your chair move over there?"

The man's face was angular, seemingly made of cement. His neck was thick and authoritative, leading down to two toned arms and clothed chest. Hiashi Hyuuga, the man's name, looked like a very strong soldier, youthful despite his age. The only problem was his legs- or rather, his lack of. He had lost a leg in the last war he had fought in, leaving him with one functional leg and a stump with an ugly scar. He rarely asked for assistance and had only cracked and got a wheel chair for his youngest, Hanabi, who cried whenever he tried to hobble around with a crutch. "I must have bumped it."

Neji rolled the chair back to his uncle, whom he addressed as Father, and helped the elder man climb into it.

"Is Hinata ready?"

Neji smiled fondly. "She is rushing to finish up her chores."

Hiashi looked up at the teenager. "I wouldn't assign her chores on a day like today."

Neji's sick smile only grew, earning a mutual one from Hiashi.

Once in the kitchen, Neji got down to his knees before the tea. Hanabi, a girl whom looked identical to Hinata but with lighter hair, sat opposite of him. She smiled encouragingly at her father as he hopped onto a place on the floor near her. "Good morning, Father."

"Good morning, Hanabi."

They waited for Hinata to enter, which did not take long. She burst into the room, chicken feathers messily braided into her hair and horse feed caked onto her small shorts. "Father," she cried with a blush. She bowed her head and sat down, ignoring the stares from her cousin and sister. "I apologize, I had to feed the chickens and Kuma and of course-"

Hiashi put up a hand and stopped her. "Drink your tea and go to the Yamanaka shop immediately."

"Yes, Father," Hinata said, feeling belittled by his rough tone.

The man never intended on being mean- he was tough by nature. He had seen wars and killed many. Hiashi had even seen his twin brother die in battle alongside him.

Hinata stood soon and excused herself. "Wait," Hanabi said suddenly. "I want you to take these for luck!"

She handed Hinata a necklace made of red beads, looking as if they were aflame. Hinata smiled and took them gently into her hand. "Hanabi, thank you."

"You will look even more beautiful," Neji said softly. Hiashi nodded in agreement.

"Those belonged to your mother," the older man said. "She wore them when we met."

Hinata clutched them to her chest. They belonged to her mother- the woman she had so few memories of. Nodding to them all, she darted from the farm house before tears fell.

The young woman smiled on her way there. "Hello, Kiba-kun!" She called to a man playing with a dog. He smiled back and waved. Many villagers waved to her and asked how she was. Hinata was polite and well-known amongst many of the townspeople. Despite her clutzy manor, she was giving and kind, often humble and bashful too. "Shino, good morning!"

The man glanced over at the woman and nodded gently. She giggled at his shy gesture. She secretly hoped she was deemed suitable for a husband. Not only to bring honor on her broken little family, but also so she could marry a nice man like Kiba or Shino.

Hinata spotted Ino and waved, rushing toward her. The blonde scowled and waved. "Come on, Hina!"

Hinata blanched and nodded apologetically as she entered the home. "I would have been here earilier, but Neji wanted me to do chores."

Ino ignored her and stripped off the woman's dirty clothes. "Sheesh, what the hell were you doing?"

Hinata blushed and screamed as Ino pushed her into a pool of water. "Why is it so cold?!"

"Maybe if you had blown off your chores, the water would be hot."

Hinata frowned. "I wouldn't want hot either, maybe lukewarm…"

Ino poured pink soap onto the long, raven-colored hair. "You are such an odd woman." Ino scrubbed the beautiful locks roughly, making sure they were silky and smooth. She grabbed a sponge and then rubbed Hinata's skin raw, making sure that, too, was smooth.

"Ow, Ino!" Hinata cried. She rubbed her shoulder, which was red from Ino's sponge.

"You want a good husband- don't you want to bring honor to your family?"

Hinata looked at her dirty farm clothes lying on the ground. "I do," she said. Her face fell, looking down.

Ino noticed this and stopped scrubbing. She lifted the girl's chin and smiled proudly. "Don't frown- you're too pretty! Let's go fix up this hair and pick out a lovely kimono."

Hinata smiled gratefully and nodded.

Pulling her hair up into a tight bun wasn't a problem for Hinata. She actually hated her long hair- it was always in the way of something. It was picking out a kimono that was the issue. Ino proceeded to tie some long ribbon around her waist, knocking the breath out of Hinata, attempting to make the curvy woman curvier. Ino pulled a pale lavender kimono around Hinta, but it proved to be too long. "Hinata, really, how tall are you?"

Hinata smiled bashfully at her friend's harsh tone. "I'm sorry, Ino."

Ino waved her hand angrily. She worked on pinning things and taking in the robe, until Hinata stood there like a princess. Ino beamed for a moment, playing with Hinata's bangs. "Perfect! Hinata, you will attract a husband on the way there! Now sit down, I need to do your makeup."

Hinata sighed angrily but sat down at a small table. Ino's father, Inoichi, and his friend, Kakashi, sat at a table not too far from them. Hinata was not surprised to see the men- they were, of course, in Ino's flower shop. They just sat in the backroom, where all the lovely smelling flowers sat. Hinata closed her eyes begrudgingly and allowed the blonde to cake on white powders and black stuff- Hinata didn't know what any of it was. She never wore that kind of gunk, ever. When Neji was healthy, they use to fight in the back garden. That was before he went to war- the first war involving the Huns. Neji had gone with her father; that's when the man lost his leg. Neji was okay for a long time after that. He even signed up for any war that was to come.

"You have such beautiful eyelashes," Ino chortled, "I'm jealous."

Hinata smiled, but frowned inwardly. Who cared what eyelashes looked like?

Neji trained hard for the war he knew was doomed to come. Hinata watched and helped every day, noticing the illness that grew in his lungs. He use to jog for hours, but eventually could only jog for an hour before he was panting and grasping his chest in pain. The doctors- there were many- couldn't describe his illness. They gave him teas and papers with healing messages. Hinata asked her ancestors for help every day, but he only grew weaker. Hinata and Neji were like identical twins until he got sick. His cheek bones protruded and his hair was limp and had lost its black sheen.

"Okay, Hinata, I'm finished," Ino said proudly. She set a mirror before Hinata and looked at the girl expectantly.

Hinata opened her eyes and stared at her face for a long time. She didn't even look like Hinata Hyuuga- she looked like…a woman. "Isn't it a bit much?"

Ino's smile fell. "You hate it."

"N-no!" Hinata chirped. "It's lovely, really." Her face was paler than the moon, her lips painted a crimson, which contrasted against her skin strongly. Her eyelids were coated with black, seemingly making her eyes larger.

Ino smiled again. "It is, isn't it? I'm going to throw on a coat, and we can go."

Hinata nodded, watching her go. Her lilac-toned eyes shifted to Inoichi and Kakashi.

"Nice move," Kakashi said shortly. Inoichi sat smugly, waiting. Kakashi stared at the board for a long time.

Hinata studied Kakashi's side before smiling. Walking over, she delicately moved Kakashi's piece over three of Inoichi's, ultimately winning the game. Kakashi laughed at Inoichi's fallen face and cried, "why, thank you, Hinata!"

Hinata smiled softly and nodded her head, departing the house. Ino exited after her. They made their way to a small building, where many beautiful girls sat in wait. "Good luck," Ino whispered. She hugged Hinata tightly to her before releasing the girl.

Hinata thanked her kindly and looked around for a table to sit at. She spotted chocolate brown hair- Tenten.

Rushing over, Hinata smiled and greeted the girl. "Hello, Tenten," she said. She sat down, feeling completely uncomfortable in her honorable garbs.

Tenten smiled, but both women suddenly burst out in laugher. "You feel completely stupid too, huh?"

"Yes," Hinata laughed. She studied Tenten's face- it was nearly as caked as Hinata's, except Tenten genuinely looked beautiful. Her cheek bones were enhanced along with her high eyebrows. Even her skin was a natural color, unlike Hinata's.

Tenten shrugged. "Well, at least we can finally catch up to Ino and Sakura," she said.

Ino and Sakura were already engaged, since last year, leaving Tenten and Hinata behind. Hinata was bitter about Sakura's engagement, even though she tried not to be. She loved Naruto, the man Sakura was betrothed to, and had nearly grown up with him. But, Hinata tried not to think about him- he only worked at a ramen shop, cleaning up messes. She was very content at home with Neji and her father, two war heroes. "That's true, haha."

"Do you have your eyes on anyone special," Tenten asked.

Hinata once again thought about Naruto but shook her head. "I want to honor my family with a strong soldier, but I don't want to actually marry."

Tenten nodded, but did not speak. The doors to the building swung open and a tall, busty, blonde woman stepped out. "Hyuuga Hinata," she called loudly, her tone harsh.

"Hello!" Hinata called, waving.

"Speaking when not spoken to," the woman harshly said, scratching notes down on her paper.

Dread filled Hinata's gut as she ducked in behind the woman. "I'm sorry, I'm just nervous."

She glared at Hinata for a moment. "I am Tsunade. Take a seat and pour the tea."

Intimidated, Hinata plopped down and grabbed the warm tea kettle.

"How unladylike, frumpily sitting on the cushion like that." Tsunade shook her head. "Too thin as well- things are not looking good for you."

Hinata blushed angrily, pouring the woman's tea into a small cup. When Tsunade wasn't looking, Hinata spat in the cup. "Here you are," she said, plastering on a fake smile, pushing the cup forward.

Tsunade lifted the cup up, smelling its light fragrance with a smile. She took a small sip, sighting contently. "To make an honorable woman, you must entertain many guests and hold tea ceremonies. Have you ever entertained guests?"

"Yes- I live with my father, whom has many prestigious friends."

"You speak too much. No man wants to listen for so long."

Hinata resisted the urge to growl and punch the woman. "Do you enjoy the tea?"

Tsunade ignored the question. "You must dress to impress- your kimono is lovely, but your necklace does not match."

Hinata felt her pulse quicken.

"It looks dreadful and outdated; men want young."

Hinata slammed her hands on the table, having had enough. "You listen here, you old maid! These beads belong to an honorable woman! She married a war hero and kept up a beautiful home- jealousy and arrogance is ugly on you."

The woman sat shocked. "You," she began shakily, rising to her feet, "You bring dishonor on your entire family!"

Hinata gasped, standing slowly.

"Get out!" Tsunade shouted.

"N-no, I-"

"Leave!"

Hinata turned and ran from the building quickly, shame filling her heart. Tears fell past her and she sobbed, running past Tenten.

"Hinata…?"

The women stared at the girl leaving, and then Tsunade, who opened the door with a red, angry face.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Hiashi sat under the sakura tree, staring at a small hut on the top of a mountain. Many of his ancestor's names had been carved into rocks held in the hut. A thin pond wrapped around the mountain's base, passing in front of Hiashi. He had pushed his wheel chair behind him and the cement bench he sat on.

His silvery eyes shifted over, to see his daughter running up the hill. Hiashi frowned instantly as he saw the tears falling from her face, smearing the makeup that might have been beautiful. She collapsed on the bench next to him, burying her face into his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she sobbed.

Hiashi sighed softly. _Help us, ancestors_, he thought. "Why are you sorry, little daughter?"

"I have brought dishonor to us all…" She hiccupped and ripped the bun from her head, the black locks cascading down her shoulders.

Hiashi moved away, lifting his daughter's chin. "Hinata, look at me."

Hinata angrily looked up at her strong father, panting softly. His eyes were filled with sympathy and he reached up with the other hand, using his sleeve to wipe her face. He only wiped away half, leaving a striking contrast. "Father, I will fix this, I promise."

Hiashi smiled up at the trees. "Look at that," he said gently. Gentle did not suit his deep, brash voice. "A flower has yet to bloom- I bet it will be the loveliest out of them all."

Hinata sniffled. "Father, listen to me-"

"Hinata, your mother did not meet me until she was much older then you. Her father told her that she was doomed to be an old maid. And she had two children, and helped raise Neji for a few years. She was incredibly strong. She fought her illness straight up to her death, and Hinata, she never cried."

His words stung her. Her father was correct in everything he said. She smiled softly, the pain in her heart subsiding. Although her father was mean, he was understanding and caring of his daughters. "Thank you, Father," Hinata said quietly, leaning up to kiss his cheek bone.

Hiashi smiled at her. Hinata liked it when her father smiled- his scars were ugly but his face was handsome. She stood, bowing gently, before making her way over to where her ancestor's dwelled.

Hinata bowed upon entering, saying a soft prayer. "Ancestors, hear my plea. I have made a fool of myself, and I have brought dishonor to my father. I want a chance to make things better." She held back tears, thinking of the strength of her mother- but thoughts of her mother only brought on more pain. She collapsed in a fit of sobs before a stone, which reflected the image of Hinata back. "Look at how pathetic you are," she whispered to herself. "Even Hanabi is stronger then you…pathetic." The makeup coating the left half of her face was mocking her, gorgeous and perfect against the right half, which was subtly pretty but tomboyish. "Why can't you look how you feel," she muttered sadly.

Suddenly horns filled the air. Hinata jumped up, fear suddenly filling her heart.

"Neji!" she heard her father cry.

The horns only grew louder, accompanied by the banging of drums. She stood, wiping the remainder of her makeup, and ran outside. "Neji?" she called fearfully.

He was limping quickly to the stone walls and entrance surrounding her home, where her father was already waiting. "Hinata, stay with Hanabi."

Hinata gasped at his harsh tone but followed closely behind. Men on horses were lined up in the square in front of her house, dressed in armor and holding scrolls.

Neji and Hiashi waited, their faces becoming emotionless.

"The Huns have invaded China, men!"

Hinata gasped, covering her mouth.

"One man from every family must guard our borders and fight for his country. Beginning with the Akimichi family!"

A man stepped forward and bowed, accepting a scroll that was handed to him. "I will bring honor to my family," he said bravely.

The man on the horse continued saying names, the fear and panic growing in Hinata's stomach until he finally said it. "The Hyuuga family!"

Neji handed his cane to Hiashi and stood tall, lifting his chin. He strolled forward to the man on the horse, reaching for the scroll with a shaking, frail hand. "I will help defend my country," he said.

Hinata gasped and screamed, "No!"

The man ignored her but Hiashi and Neji looked up. "Hinata, silence," Neji said sternly.

She jumped down and grabbed Neji's scroll. "You cannot go, you are sick!"

Men began to stare.

"Neji, please, do not accept this!"

Neji angrily swiped away the scroll and shook his head angrily. "Do not speak out of turn, Hinata."

The man sitting on the horse spoke up. His gray hair fell past his waist and his face was covered in boils and acne. "You will do well to teach her some manors. Maybe you will learn your place, pretty little girl. The Uzumaki family!"

Hinata stood in shock, a blush forming on her face until Neji grabbed her arm roughly. "Let's go before you embarrass us more, Hinata."

Hiashi was already pushing himself home, leaving Neji and Hinata behind. Neji tried hard to walk without Hinata's help, as he was fuming, but he had to lean on her. When they entered the home, Neji collapsed onto a chair. "See, you can't even walk without assistance, how will you fight the Huns?"

"Be quiet," Hiashi snapped. "You belittle the men in your family."

Hinata gasped again, anger building in her chest. "I am going to make tea, for both of you, because you are both ill," Hinata snapped. She stormed from the room, leaving Neji and Hiashi with frowns.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

It was darker then Hinata had ever known outside. She was shaking and hesitant, but decided it was the right thing to do.

The girl kissed Neji's forehead softly before moving to his closet. She quickly put on his armor, which sculpted nicely to her body- it only felt baggy around her waist and shoulders. She grabbed his sword and his scroll, leaving a single bead from her mother's necklace in its place.

Rushing from the house, she pulled her long hair, much like Neji's, into a bun and rushed into the horse's stalls. Kuma neighed loudly and lifted his legs, but Hinata shushed him quickly. "It's me," she whispered, "It's me."

Hinata mounted her horse and the rain began to fall, thunder filling the sky with light. Kuma darted from the stall and they left her safe farm home.

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LUA- Ahhh, I have wanted to do this for SO LONG. I love Mulan with a passion and I love Hinata and I love Sasuke, and agh, well.

You can follow me on tumblr for small bits of future chapters if you liked this (simbaloveshismufasa). Please review and tell me if you liked it!


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